Holy Week begins: Prayers for peace on Palm Sunday
Worshippers across the Archdiocese of Newark and around the world marked the beginning of Holy Week with Palm Sunday Masses on Mar. 29. During liturgies that recalled Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the narrative of his passion and death, Christians were called to follow His example of love, and prayers were offered for peace.
“At the beginning of Holy Week, our prayers are more than ever with the Christians of the Middle East, who are suffering the consequences of a brutal conflict and, in many cases, are unable to observe fully the liturgies of these holy days,” Pope Leo XIV said before the praying of the Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square on Sunday afternoon. “Just as the Church contemplates the mystery of the Lord’s Passion, we cannot forget those who today are truly sharing in his suffering. Their ordeal challenges all our consciences.”
In Jerusalem, Israeli authorities barred the Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pizzaballa, from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, reportedly due to security concerns. It was later announced that an agreement had been reached allowing Holy Week services to proceed at the historic church, also known as the Church of the Resurrection, though attendance at the liturgies will be restricted. The city’s holy sites remain closed due to the ongoing conflict in Iran that has spread to other parts of the Middle East.
Called to listen and serve
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, celebrated Palm Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ. In his homily, he said that the Passion narrative of St. Matthew, “peppered with familiar details,” was a story that most worshippers had heard many times. “All of us know how it ends,” he said. “Such familiarity can make us drift.”
“But Jesus did not live, suffer, and die only for those who follow every moment with perfect focus,” the cardinal continued. “He entered into human weakness, into distraction, and into human frailty. The crowd who once waved their palms and shouted for his victory soon lost interest and turned away.”
Cardinal Tobin said that what truly matters is “how well we respond” to God’s call.
“Jesus listened attentively to his mission,” he said. “He listened to the Father, even to the point of surrendering everything: ‘Let it be done to me according to Your will.’ And we, too, are called to that same pattern of listening and serving — not perfectly, not without distraction, but faithfully.”
“The story we heard today is a story we already knew,” Cardinal Tobin concluded. “But the real question is whether or not we are willing to live it.”
“He came to bring life”
Representatives from the archdiocese’s Italian Apostolate presented Cardinal Tobin with a specially decorated olive branch during the liturgy. Olive branches, traditionally used as Palm Sunday greenery in Italy, represent peace and reconciliation.
Meanwhile, in parishes around the archdiocese, worshippers raised palm branches in imitation of the crowds that greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago. Worshippers also offered prayers for that their hearts would continue to be transformed through God’s mercy and for peace amid multiple global conflicts. Those pleas were shared by many around the world on Palm Sunday.
“We turn our gaze to Jesus, who reveals himself as the King of Peace, even as war looms around him,” Pope Leo XIV said during his Palm Sunday homily. “He remains steadfast in meekness, while others are stirring up violence. He offers himself to embrace humanity, even as others raise swords and clubs. He is the light of the world, though darkness is about to engulf the earth. He came to bring life, even as plans unfold to condemn him.”
To view more images of Palm Sunday liturgies at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart and at parishes around the archdiocese, click HERE.
You can view highlights of the Palm Sunday Mass celebrated by Cardinal Tobin below:
Featured image: Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., celebrated Palm Sunday Mass on March 29, 2026 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, NJ. (Photos by Julio Eduardo Herrara / Archdiocese of Newark)
